Machine for applying sole edge covers to platform shoes



Feb. 4, 1947. CREPEAU 2,415,085

MACHINE FOR APPLYING SOLE EDGE COVERS TO PLATFORM SHOES Original Filed Oct. 1. 1942 lfivniar Frnes- A. Crepeau.

Patented Feb. 4, 1947 MACHINE FOB APPLYING SOLE EDGE CDVERS TO PLATFORM SHOES Ernest A. Crcpeair, Haverhill', Mass,- assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. 5., a corporation of New Jersey Grigi'nal application October 1, 1942, Serial No. 460,384. Divided and this application March 23, 1945, Serial No; 584,386

4 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for applying a covering to the peripheral edges of shoe soles such, for example, as the midsoles of platform. shoes, and is illustrated and described as embodied in a machine suitable for carrying out one of the steps of the method disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,397,245, granted March 26, 1946, upon an application filed in my name and of which the present application is a division.

Midsoles, or platform soles, used to a large extent in play shoes and slippers, may consist of a resilient pad of uniform thickness from heel to we or of a pad which is thicker at the heel portion than at the toe portion. The peripheral portions of these pads are usually covered with strips of leather or cloth to hide the raw edge faces and provide a finish d, decorative appearance. The binding material comes in strip form and is wide enough to overlap the top and bottom faces of the pad and to be secured to these faces by stitching, stapling or adhesion. A single strip may be applied to the entire peripheral edge or there may be a piece surrounding the heel end of the pad and another piece surrounding the toe end.

It has hitherto been customary to attach the binding strip to the peripheral edge face and to the marginal surface portions adjacent thereto with the entire width of the binding strip adhesively secured to the pad. Even when the binding strip was finally secured by stitching or stapling which extended through the marginal portion of the pad from top to bottom the binding was, nevertheless, adhesively secured over its entire width. When the pad, which is composed of resilient material, is compressed under the heavy pressure of the sole pressing machine, the binding strip, which has been adhesively attached to the peripheral edge of the pad, is caused to wrinkle. Even when the pressure is released and the pad expands to its original thickness the binding nevertheless remains wrinkled because of the fact that the adhesive-coated surfaces of the binding strip and the pad do not move freely with respect to one another. The same effect appears to a less extent when the sole is subjected to the intermittent compression of daily use.

' The above-mentioned Letters Patent No. 2,397,245 discloses an improved method of applying a binding strip to the marginal portion of a midsole. In accordance with that method adhe sive is applied to the" marginal portions of the top and bottom faces of the midsole, including the corners formed by the intersection of the peripheral edge face with the top and bottom faces. A precoated binding strip having its opposite marginal portions extending beyond the top and bottom faces of the midsole is then wrapped about the peripheral edge of the midsole and caused to adhere temporarily to the corners thereof, after which the projecting marginal portions of the binding strip are bent inwardly into engagement with, and are wiped over, the top and bottom faces of the midsole while pressure is applied thereto to compress the margin of the midsole and to bond the marginal portions of the binding strip permanently to the midsole. No adhesive is applied to the peripheral edge face of the midsole, and the binding strip is not bonded thereto. As a result, that portion of the binding strip covering the peripheral edge face is held taut, by'the tendency of the edge of the midsole to expand, and is free to slacken and tighten v with the contraction and expansion of the midsole.

An object of the present invention is to provide a machine suitable for carrying out that step of the method which consists in bonding the marginal portions of the binding strip permanently to the top and bottom faces of the midsole while compressing the Inidsole. In accordance with a feature of the invention, there is provided means for frictionally engaging the projecting marginal portions of the binding strip and pressing them into engagement with the top and bottom faces of the midsole while, holding the midsole in a condition of compression. In

' the illustrated machine, this means consists of a pair of driven rotary disks, one of which is resiliently urged toward the other, and between which the marginal portion of the midsole is presented.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be described in connection with an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of an illustrative machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section showing a binding strip temporarily attached to the upper and lower corners of the edge face of a midsolez, and

Fig. 3 illustrates the operation of the machine in wining the marginal portions of the binding strip from the positions shown in Fig. 2 inwardly and pressing them into engagement with the midsole.

The machine shown in the drawing is a portion of the apparatus disclosed in Letters Patent No. 2,397,245 above referred to. This machine comprises an upright shaft 28 journal-ed in a lower 3 bearing 29 carried by a bracket 30 extending from a frame l6 and also in an upper bearing (not shown). The operating instrumentalities of the machine consist of a pair of parallel fiat disks 38 and 89 arranged in coaxial relation with the disk 88 abOVe the disk 89. A hub 99 on the disk 89 is S d y a setscrew 92 to the shaft 28.

A hub 94 on the disk 33 slidably engages a sleeve 96 which, in turn, is mounted on the shaft 28 and secured thereto by a setscrew 98 threaded through a flange Hill formed on the upper part of the sleeve 96. A spring I02 surrounding the sleeve 86 and interposed between the flange Hi8 and the hub 94 serves to urge the disk 88 yieldably downward toward the disk 89. A lever I65 fulcrumed upon a pin 506 secured in the frame lficarries a yoke I08 which embraces the hub 94. A pair of studs 5 l0 extend inwardly from the yoke I08 into a circumferential groove IH formed in the hub 94. A treadle rod H2 pivotally connected to the outer end of the lever H34 provides for rocking the lever to raise the disk 88 against the pressure of the spring 02, A set-screw 95 threaded through the hub 94 has formed on its inner end a nub 9'! which engages a longitudinal slot 99 formed in the sleeve 96, thepurpose of this arrangement being to guide the disk 88 in its heightwise movement while preventing rotary slipping of the disk with respect to the sleeve 96.

The disks 88 and 89 rotate with the shaft 28, which is driven by a chain m. running over a pair of sprockets I l t and H The sprocket i it has a hub 82 which is secured to the shaft 23 by a setscrew 94. The sprocket H8 is driven from a belt I23 through a clutch I22 and gearing r contained in a box lZfl. The belt i23,'which may be driven from any suitable sourc of power, runs over a pulley I25 which is connected to the gearing in the box 52% by the clutch I22. A'treadle rod 124 is provided for tripping the clutch I22.

The operation of the machine is illustrated in Fig. 3, which shows the application of a binding strip a to a midsole b. The bindin strip to be operated upon is temporarily secured to the midsole by adhesive at the upper and lower corners of the edge face of the midsole only, as shown in Fig. 2, the projecting marginal portions of the binding strip having already been bent over but not pressed down upon themarginal portions of the midsole, To perform the operation, the operator raises the disk 88 by depressing the treadle and places the midsole 1) between the disks 8B and 89, Upon release of the treadle the partially folded-in edges of the binding strip are brought into engagement with the top and bottom faces of the midsole and pressed thereagainst, causing them to adhere to the marginal portions of the midsole. HOldiIlg the midsole in this position, the operator feeds it to cause the binding strip to be applied progressively around the heel end of the midsole from a point in the shank portion of the midsole to a point in the shank portion of the oppositeside of the midsole. Fig, 3 shows not only the binding strip a being applied around the heel end of the midsole b but it shows also a binding strip' a which has already been applied around the toe portion of the midsole. It will be observed that as a result of the rotation of the disks 88, 89 there is a component of force exerted upon the edge portions of the midsole which tends to wipe the marginal portions of the binding strip inwardly, and another component which acts longitudinally of the midsole and in the direction of feed of the midsole to iron the pressed-down marginal portions. The component of force exerted in the direction of feed of the midsole tends to shorten the inner edges of the marginal portions of th binding strip and thusto draw the binding strip close about the curved portion of the midsole to eliminate wrinkling of the overlapping portion of the binding. It is true that the disks, in their continued rotation, will wipe outwardly as the midsole is fed past them, but by that time the portions of the binding strip upon which they are operating will already have been securely applied to the midsole.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating on a midsole to the peripheral edge of which a binding strip has been caused to adhere with its marginal portions projecting from the top and bottom faces thereof, a pair of rotatable coaxial disks having parallel surfaces, one of said disks being springpressed toward the other, said disks being operable frictionally to engage the marginal portions of the strip opposite the top and bottom faces progressively to stretch and fold the projecting marginal portions of the binding strip into engagement with said top and bottom faces and to subject the same to pressure.

2. In a machine for operating on a midsole to the peripheral edge of which a binding strip has been caused to adhere with its marginal portions projecting from the top and bottom faces thereof, a pair of parallel disks arranged frictionally to engage the marginal portions of the strip opposite the top and bottom faces, and means for rotating said disks to cause the marginal portions progressively to be wiped from the peripheral edge of the midsole inwardly, as the midsole is advanced, in the direction of movement of the disks at their points of contact with the midsole. o

3. In a machine for operating on a midsole to the peripheral edge of which a binding strip has been caused to adhere with its marginal portions projecting from the top and bottom faces thereof, a pair of parallel disks arranged frictionally to engage the marginal portions of the strip opposite the top and bottom faces, and means for rotating the disks to cause a wiping force to be exerted on the edge of the midsole which progressively will rub the binding strip longitudinally of the edge in thedirection of movement of the midsole.

4. In a machine for operating on a midsole to the peripheral edge of which a binding strip has been caused to adhere with its marginal portions projecting from the top and bottom faces thereof, a pair of parallel disks arranged frictionally to engage the marginal portions of the strip opposite the top and bottom faces, means for rotating the disks to cause a wiping force to be exerted on the edge of the midsole which progressively will rub the marginal portions inwardly from the peripheral edge and longitudinally of the peripheral edge in the direction of movement of the midsole.

ERNEST A. CREPEAU.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES, PATENTS Name Date Number Bessett Oct. 3, 1939 

